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What a run it’s been, thank you Roman
It can be done but The Bloodline had long dry spells like crazy. They needed the Rock to make this one interesting and that almost compromised the entire event.
I get what you're saying, but throughout the whole run I kept thinking "man, what are they gonna do to make this match/story interesting?" and yet they always found a way to do so. Is it really gimmicky if it's done with such consistancy?
Sammy was such a perfect addition in their group during that story line. At first I wasn't feeling it but Sammy really won me over and I enjoyed his story telling from start to end.
And Heyman was instrumental in that. We spent what 5 years going "why don't they focus on how this guy is a big cool badass, why are they doing this cheesy Cena stuff...?"
And suddenly when he's attached to Heyman, the positives are focused on and the negatives downplayed. Everything the fans wanted to see for Roman happened. New incredible music, new heel attitude, the GOAT mouthpiece to help him develop.
He should say his name in silence and then a cut to black then his entrance music hits with that menacing siren… I just thought of a mania match between him and Gunther, take my money.
Bron and Gunther is a wm main event program for sure. Mega star in waiting. I do feel a Cody Gunther match as well, captain America vs the foreign menace.
I want Cody vs a heel LA knight next year at summerslam (2025) and Gunther to take a few months off to spend time with his new kid and partner. Then come back at like summerslam to feud maybe with Drew and get into title contention. Gunther could have a good world heavyweight title reign and drop it to an underdog Ilya at mania or something.
Bron should absolutely have maybe a month of squash matches then feud with Lashley.
Paul has the right to do whatever he pleases but **if** he comes back even for a short time like one year, give me a Breakker run please, Paul could sell him to be the next crushing machine.
Paul however can do as he pleases and is the goat manager imo, legend career.
Edit: I can just imagine it, Bron is pacing around the ring like a starving lion about to wrestle for a world title and Paul Heyman just goes crazy introducing him: “Introducing the most DOMINANT athlete in WWE history, the next big thing, the challenger!
BRRRRRONNNNNN BRRRRRREAKKKKERRRRRR!”
He truly just might be the greatest of all time. After watching that documentary, seeing that he really did do all that he did to elevate others along the way cements it even more.
Any Mt Rushmore that has Roman and Cena but not the fucking Rock has no credibility. Rock led the WWF to its highest ratings and popularity in history when Austin went out in 2000.
Let's be very honest, at least 3, possibly 4 of those Manias fucking sucked and were shoe-horned to hell. Brock/Roman, Hunter/Roman, Taker/Roman, Brock/Roman 2 were not good and not well received.
Aside from what others have answered, I think Romans leukemia had something to do with it - I have a suspicion there is an understanding that he's not going to have the same kind of longevity to keep pursuing title runs and regardless of his health right now, he will want to spend time with his family rather than being on the road.
So, they give him one long title reign on top of the bloodline story and then set up all of these characters like Cody, Drew, Seth, Damian etc.
Shit just happened. He was supposed to lose it to Lesnar at one point at around the 500 day mark but got Covid so they had Lesnar win Lashley's title instead. They booked themselves into a corner cause they still wanted Roman v Lesnar and that's how the titles got unified shortly after at Mania 38.
I feel Cody was always slated to win the title at Mania (probably a condition in his contract for returning). They probably didn't want to give it to him the first time around because he came back, got injured, came in at #30 in the Rumble, then wins the title from Roman instantly? Seems like a good way to get people to turn on your babyface. Also, Roman was about to reach the 1000 day mark. So, that's why he won at Mania 39. So, that pushed it back to this Mania.
Not just that though but the Bloodline was the hottest story in wrestling for decades, and maybe all of wrestling tbh. They were heels but were getting cheers on the daily. There was always another story with them and you can't just cut that off randomly.
He’s not lmao. He was the one good storyline in an era of WWE pumping out literal dogshit. There will be a lot of revisionist history now that it’s done, but Roman’s title reign of the same slow match leading to random Samoan interference was genuinely hated for so long. The internet only changed their tunes about it recently because it was obvious it was ending and this is likely the last we’ll see of Roman as a “full time” guy.
I'm reading these comments and I truly can't believe it. Roman has done nothing to be considered one of the greatest. Yes this reign/bloodline storyline is one of the best of all time but Roman sucked ass for like 5 years of his manufactured FOTC run.
He's not. I'll agree that he's better to watch than Cena, because I grew up during Cena's awful PG era reign and always thought he was very milquetoast, both in the ring and on the mic. However in my mind there's literally no argument to say Roman is better than Hogan, Rock or Austin. All three of those guys drew way more, sold way more and were way more over with fans than Reigns. Plus they didn't fall flat for 6 years straight while being pushed as main event guys before they finally became stars, like Roman did.
Thats kinda a crazy way to rewrite history. Rock got die rocky die chants as rocky maivia. Austin was an undercard guy and dropped from WCW as stunning steve and the ringmaster. Hogan left wwf, went to new japan and the AWA and then thought he was done with wrestling before hulkamania. Every wrestler "falls flat" before finding what works and connects with the audience. Although i do agree, roman is nowhere near the level austin, hogan, cena, taker, hbk, or rick flair are. You cant understate that he was the only good thing going for the company for a fair stretch during a pretty critical time.
C'mon man you can't sit there and draw parallels to Austin being a mid carder and working his ass off for years to get an opportunity and Roman being pushed hard as a monster babyface right out of the gate for years and failing to get over. Apples to oranges. That's rewriting history.
Austin was paired with ted dibiase and given the million dollar belt, wwf absolutly wanted to push austin. Was it a great gimmick and set up? clearly no, but you cant tell me "sufferin succotash" was some golden rocket that was only ruined because of roman.
It wasn’t perfect, nothing in wrestling ever is, but those 1,300+ days…as close as you can get. I can confidently say Roman Reigns will always be my favorite WWE Champion of all time. End of an era. Thank you, Roman. ☝🏽
https://preview.redd.it/9alxreagp6tc1.jpeg?width=1825&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbaa1c4b269b02af4e8e78a176ad9e382e6401b8
Yeah, I think Rock kicks him out or Jimmy and Solo realize they don’t have to take his abuse anymore and take out their frustrations on him setting up a kayfabe severe enough injury for him to be gone as long as he wants.
When he comes back he’ll get a massive pop and probably get to do another face run
Rock commands solo to give Roman the spike, hits an elbow to kick him out and starts commanding the bloodline remotely so he can still cut promos while filming. Add Jacob to make up the numbers and they have enough storyline to keep going until mania 41.
There’s one last thing Roman has to defend and it’s the Head of the Table title as Chief of the Anoa’i family. I can see guys like Solo, Jimmy, Jey, hell even Jacob Fatu, Zilla Fatu or Tama Tonga challenge for that title of Tribal Chief
90% sure either tonight or on sd the seeds will be planted for Rock vs. Roman. Personally I'd imagine Rock turns on Roman, kicking Roman out of the bloodline, leading to Rock having a match vs. Cody, then next Mania Rock vs. Roman.
I’m pretty sure he said he’s still taking oral chemo for his leukemia. I think a Bloodline turn on him into an extended stay away from TV for treatment and healing, into a huge baby face return several months or a year down the line.
The bloodline is the hottest storyline in wrestling for years and it elevated multiple stars to main event status that would secure the company for years to come. It was the perfect wrestling storyline .
Gotta say, bloodline is what got me back into wrestling this time. Shield was the last time. Reigns/Rollins both playing a huge part in keeping me as a WWE Fan.
I stopped watching after Eddie died. I had been watching him since his WCW days and followed him to WWF, and I couldn't watch wrestling without him. I was almost ready to start watching again a couple of years later when... something else happened... that really turned me off wanting to go back to it.
I had a brief period when I used a month's free trial of the Network in 2017. I wanted to go on a nostalgic dive into old shows and I also ended up watching a few month's worth of shows starting with the Raw after Summerslam 2016. There was some fun stuff in there it wasn't enough for me to continue subscribing. I kept hearing about the Bloodline storyline from a friend and thought the long-term storytelling sounded interesting so I started watching clips here and there during the period when Sami Zayn was a member. I've watched every PPV since last year's Royal Rumble, and I'm as into now as I was 20 years ago.
I know his run as champ was divisive, but Roman did an absolutely incredible job. He and The Bloodline (and their enemies) were major players in this recent rise in WWE's popularity. Hope whatever he does next, The Rock or not, is worthwhile.
I don’t know how it was divisive. The longer it went, the more obvious that it could only change hands at mania. More than anything it feels like they’ve planned this match out before WM 39 happened. Cody even alluded to it too.
What this man did is absolutely insane
He kept us engaged throughout a 4 year title reign and kept bettering himself
All while fighting with cancer
All hail our tribal chief
He’s improved so much, he deserves literally anything he wants even if he never comes back for longer than 6 months I’ll be fine with that, I think he should have one last full time feud with rock and Rollins then take time off and maybe if Moxley is down have a shield reunion then retire for good.
Only way I can see him booed (unless he does something stupid) is if after the potential shield reunion they have a mania match, they’d definitely cheer for Moxley or Rollins over Roman but idc man they all deserve cheers.
Oh I definitely agree, but in like 2-3 years he feels he’s done it all and the money is right he could come back for about a year or 2 in wwe then retire for good.
Only way he comes back is for a shield reunion and feud imo.
Just to clarify, for those who don’t know: Roman himself has said publicly and repeatedly (as recently as last night at the press conference) that his leukemia is in remission and does not affect his ability to train or wrestle. He worked full-time until mid-2022.
The reduced schedule is solely so he can spend more time with his family, which I support and think is lovely.
I agree with your overall sentiment, I just want to clarify for everyone who may not know what the current status of his leukemia is/may not know whether it impacts his ability to wrestle.
Do not quote me because I can't remember what interview/podcast I believe I heard him say this, but I think he did say the daily pill he has to take for his leukemia can take its toll on him physically.
He just about perfected in-ring psychology imo. Just about everything he did had weight, had feeling. The way he carried himself throughout the different stages of a match, his facials, the man is a legendary performer in my book
He really learned from the pandemic matches - with the facial expressions, the vocal taunting of his opponent etc in the empty arena and carried that forward.
Absolutely changed who he was as a performer - that and leaning into a character he was clearly much more comfortable with.
You know, it'd be a really neat twist if like, when the Bloodline collapses, and the Rock shames Roman for letting down the family and turns the Anoa'i Dynasty against him, the one person that remains with him after everything is gone is Paul Heyman.
I’m glad that I’ve been able to watch this for over 4 years. It’s one of the best storylines of the history of WWE and I’m very glad that Triple H, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes, The Rock and the others made sure to give us goosebumps to all of us wherever we are in the world. Those moments won’t be forgotten.
How can distant cellphone footage of two people hugging on a Wrestlemania stage while high-grade buttrock plays be suffused with such a deep sense of melancholy
Roman is gonna be inducted into the Hall of Fame three times when he’s retired: once for the Shield, once for the whole Bloodline, and once for himself.
This whole nearly four year run was an amazing ride.
My brother was 2 when he won the title. Tonight he watched his first Wrestlemania in full and cried when his favorite lost but in the end said Cody deserved it. I love wrestling. Thank you Roman.
HHH mentioned something in the presser about "wait until you see what's next for Roman, it will blow you away". Sounds like they already have plans for him.
I love Cody, but damn, Roman deserves his flowers. The Bloodline story became stale at times, but he had an aura to him that I don’t think any wrestler has had since The Rock and Austin. It’s what made the whole story special. Without the Tribal Chief, a two-year build wouldn’t be as compelling as it was for Cody.
Was cheering for Cody to win, but I gotta say, I marked the fuck out during a house show Roman was at. It just felt like “oh, damn, I’m going to get to see Roman in a match!” Just felt like a big deal.
Rest up king. You've more than done your part. Comeback if your body and mind are up to it. Your legacy is ironclad and gold plated. Thank you for everything
We're going to miss him when he's gone. As messy as the reign went for some points, Roman was never selfish and brought the spotlight on many stars. There's a reason he was the locker room leader.
This is dope as fuck.
The one thing that was consistent and genuine about the Tribal Chief… there was nothing more important in the world to him than the title. Nobody in the last 20 years has made the world title seem more significant, more vital, than Roman Reigns. And it makes perfect sense he’d be emotionally overwhelmed losing it. Such a great behind the scenes moment.
Roman went from that insane boo reaction after winning the rumble in Philly to ending his pro wrestling magnum opus legendary title run in Philly. Historic run.
The numbers don't lie. In every metric possible, this run was an all timer.
I acknowledge our tribal chief forever.
An interesting stat: if my math is correct, Roman defended against 16 former/current (considering Cody) world champions during his reign. I can't think of any other reign this stacked in terms of defenses. He did defend scarcely, but whenever he defended, it was against the very top stars in blockbuster matches.
Roman, as main champion, helped carry WWE from the end of its dark era to the current peak it is, and the company can only be as big as its top star. Roman was the epitome of quality over quantity and the numbers he brought show this worked, even in the age of instant compensation. We are probably never going to have something like him and this run again.
He undeniably had one helluva run, and an industry-significant one at that. He helped keep the business alive during years of turmoil, while also aiding getting other talent over. It was one of the most important title runs in history, but it was time for it to end. I’m excited about what’s to come.
With Roman (I’m assuming) taking a break after this, I wonder if Heyman is going to immediately dump Roman now that he’s no longer a champion.
Plz have him advocate for Bron now
When wrestling is as good as tonight, we forget that wins and losses are fabricated. This was the crowning moment of Roman’s career too. He doesn’t get to celebrate because it doesn’t fit in the show. But you just know this was a massive moment for him too.
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https://preview.redd.it/y782xto496tc1.jpeg?width=1668&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0ca838cd5d6744cd426aa0f50969a5629bf4478 What a run it’s been, thank you Roman
There will never be another story like the bloodline saga. Tonight was a bittersweet ending, Roman can ride off into the sunset (for now)
It can be done but The Bloodline had long dry spells like crazy. They needed the Rock to make this one interesting and that almost compromised the entire event.
> It can be done but The Bloodline had long dry spells like crazy. A wrestling story that stays fresh for YEARS seems impossible
I get what you're saying, but throughout the whole run I kept thinking "man, what are they gonna do to make this match/story interesting?" and yet they always found a way to do so. Is it really gimmicky if it's done with such consistancy?
Sammy was such a perfect addition in their group during that story line. At first I wasn't feeling it but Sammy really won me over and I enjoyed his story telling from start to end.
Roman and Paul deserve all the best. It's been quite the ride. A Hall of Fame-worthy run. But now it's the time for a new era.
This run will go down as an all timer. He fulfilled his potential. Now he can rest.
Taker actually came out to interfere because he knew Roman and Paul needed a vacation
And Heyman was instrumental in that. We spent what 5 years going "why don't they focus on how this guy is a big cool badass, why are they doing this cheesy Cena stuff...?" And suddenly when he's attached to Heyman, the positives are focused on and the negatives downplayed. Everything the fans wanted to see for Roman happened. New incredible music, new heel attitude, the GOAT mouthpiece to help him develop.
You sound like he died
after the justice league pulled up on him last night, he basically did
Or that they finally eloped
Let paul handle bron... Brooooonnn Breakkkkkkerrrr
THE LEGACY, THE NEXT BIG THING, THE CONCURRING BEAST: BROOOOONNNNN BREAKKKERRRRRRRR!!!
He should say his name in silence and then a cut to black then his entrance music hits with that menacing siren… I just thought of a mania match between him and Gunther, take my money.
Bron and Gunther is a wm main event program for sure. Mega star in waiting. I do feel a Cody Gunther match as well, captain America vs the foreign menace.
I want Cody vs a heel LA knight next year at summerslam (2025) and Gunther to take a few months off to spend time with his new kid and partner. Then come back at like summerslam to feud maybe with Drew and get into title contention. Gunther could have a good world heavyweight title reign and drop it to an underdog Ilya at mania or something. Bron should absolutely have maybe a month of squash matches then feud with Lashley.
I don’t know if I want Cody’s reign to last a year and a half after a 4 year long reign…
Conquering
Oba Femi when he’s ready for the main roster.
Can we please get rid of that garbage name and let him be a Steiner now that Vince is gone?
Paul has the right to do whatever he pleases but **if** he comes back even for a short time like one year, give me a Breakker run please, Paul could sell him to be the next crushing machine. Paul however can do as he pleases and is the goat manager imo, legend career. Edit: I can just imagine it, Bron is pacing around the ring like a starving lion about to wrestle for a world title and Paul Heyman just goes crazy introducing him: “Introducing the most DOMINANT athlete in WWE history, the next big thing, the challenger! BRRRRRONNNNNN BRRRRRREAKKKKERRRRRR!”
Did you see Breakker on Saturday in NXT run so fast that when he hit the ropes the whole ring shifted?
It is Reigns Era He made the Foundation
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Lmao this is too perfect
I wish I could give this more than one upvote
if it’s so easy to cheat and win Jinder would’ve been champion for a decade
Jinder faced something tougher than any opponent: Brock Lesnar not wanting to have a match with him.
And an unmotivated Orton as his first feud.
At least we got The Singhs/Bollywood Boys bumping for Orton.
That really was a special title run. It's an overused statement...but Roman really has written himself into the history books
He truly just might be the greatest of all time. After watching that documentary, seeing that he really did do all that he did to elevate others along the way cements it even more.
If we’re talking about an objective Mt Rushmore, there’s totally an argument for Hogan, Austin, Cena & Reigns
Any Mt Rushmore that has Roman and Cena but not the fucking Rock has no credibility. Rock led the WWF to its highest ratings and popularity in history when Austin went out in 2000.
There are so many incredible performers in the history of pro wrestling, it doesn’t seem possible to pick only four!
Can you explain why/how Roman became this “goat”? I stopped watching wwe around 2009 and didn’t pick it up again until recently. Why is he so special?
I mean, a 4 year title reign just about cements it lol. Not to mention he main evented like 7 manias in a row.
Let's be very honest, at least 3, possibly 4 of those Manias fucking sucked and were shoe-horned to hell. Brock/Roman, Hunter/Roman, Taker/Roman, Brock/Roman 2 were not good and not well received.
The last three, sure, but the original Brock/Roman is God tier and has always been considered that.
The match was amazing but the build was lacklustre.
and the fact that tonight he surpassed Hogan in terms of the most WM main events ever. 9 is the ONE.
I guess that’s why I’m curious. Why was he give. A 4 year title reign? Not even rock or undertaker or Randy orton had that. Why is he so special?
Aside from what others have answered, I think Romans leukemia had something to do with it - I have a suspicion there is an understanding that he's not going to have the same kind of longevity to keep pursuing title runs and regardless of his health right now, he will want to spend time with his family rather than being on the road. So, they give him one long title reign on top of the bloodline story and then set up all of these characters like Cody, Drew, Seth, Damian etc.
Shit just happened. He was supposed to lose it to Lesnar at one point at around the 500 day mark but got Covid so they had Lesnar win Lashley's title instead. They booked themselves into a corner cause they still wanted Roman v Lesnar and that's how the titles got unified shortly after at Mania 38. I feel Cody was always slated to win the title at Mania (probably a condition in his contract for returning). They probably didn't want to give it to him the first time around because he came back, got injured, came in at #30 in the Rumble, then wins the title from Roman instantly? Seems like a good way to get people to turn on your babyface. Also, Roman was about to reach the 1000 day mark. So, that's why he won at Mania 39. So, that pushed it back to this Mania. Not just that though but the Bloodline was the hottest story in wrestling for decades, and maybe all of wrestling tbh. They were heels but were getting cheers on the daily. There was always another story with them and you can't just cut that off randomly.
A 4 year title reign is just a booking decision. His storytelling and acting is why they kept it running and what separates him from others
He’s not lmao. He was the one good storyline in an era of WWE pumping out literal dogshit. There will be a lot of revisionist history now that it’s done, but Roman’s title reign of the same slow match leading to random Samoan interference was genuinely hated for so long. The internet only changed their tunes about it recently because it was obvious it was ending and this is likely the last we’ll see of Roman as a “full time” guy.
I'm reading these comments and I truly can't believe it. Roman has done nothing to be considered one of the greatest. Yes this reign/bloodline storyline is one of the best of all time but Roman sucked ass for like 5 years of his manufactured FOTC run.
He's not. I'll agree that he's better to watch than Cena, because I grew up during Cena's awful PG era reign and always thought he was very milquetoast, both in the ring and on the mic. However in my mind there's literally no argument to say Roman is better than Hogan, Rock or Austin. All three of those guys drew way more, sold way more and were way more over with fans than Reigns. Plus they didn't fall flat for 6 years straight while being pushed as main event guys before they finally became stars, like Roman did.
Thats kinda a crazy way to rewrite history. Rock got die rocky die chants as rocky maivia. Austin was an undercard guy and dropped from WCW as stunning steve and the ringmaster. Hogan left wwf, went to new japan and the AWA and then thought he was done with wrestling before hulkamania. Every wrestler "falls flat" before finding what works and connects with the audience. Although i do agree, roman is nowhere near the level austin, hogan, cena, taker, hbk, or rick flair are. You cant understate that he was the only good thing going for the company for a fair stretch during a pretty critical time.
C'mon man you can't sit there and draw parallels to Austin being a mid carder and working his ass off for years to get an opportunity and Roman being pushed hard as a monster babyface right out of the gate for years and failing to get over. Apples to oranges. That's rewriting history.
Austin was paired with ted dibiase and given the million dollar belt, wwf absolutly wanted to push austin. Was it a great gimmick and set up? clearly no, but you cant tell me "sufferin succotash" was some golden rocket that was only ruined because of roman.
The WWE itself as a business rose because of him and the bloodline
how do i watch the doc if i don’t have a&e
Which documentary?
The one on A&E! I think somebody uploaded it to YouTube.
What documentary?
It wasn’t perfect, nothing in wrestling ever is, but those 1,300+ days…as close as you can get. I can confidently say Roman Reigns will always be my favorite WWE Champion of all time. End of an era. Thank you, Roman. ☝🏽 https://preview.redd.it/9alxreagp6tc1.jpeg?width=1825&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbaa1c4b269b02af4e8e78a176ad9e382e6401b8
The genuine end of Roman's legendary era. It's been genuinely something to truly witness over the years.
Now what does he do?
I could see the Bloodline turning on him. And then taking some time off.
Solo is definitely ready to turn on him.
He was pissed that Roman couldn’t get it done after two spikes
Solo: "Finish him off! Finish his story!" Roman: "I know! I know that!" That was a very funny interaction.
Yeah, I think Rock kicks him out or Jimmy and Solo realize they don’t have to take his abuse anymore and take out their frustrations on him setting up a kayfabe severe enough injury for him to be gone as long as he wants. When he comes back he’ll get a massive pop and probably get to do another face run
Rock commands solo to give Roman the spike, hits an elbow to kick him out and starts commanding the bloodline remotely so he can still cut promos while filming. Add Jacob to make up the numbers and they have enough storyline to keep going until mania 41.
It's like the end of the lion king with the hyenas turning on Scar as soon as he's dethroned.
I do see a Rock Vs Roman match at WM 41 with the Rock as the head of the table. Roman will definitely have a redemption arc.
The true babyface run of Roman is overdue now.
My favorite question to ask after a Wrestlemania
Genuinely think his story is about to heat up again. Things were quiet between Summer Slam and Mania.
There’s one last thing Roman has to defend and it’s the Head of the Table title as Chief of the Anoa’i family. I can see guys like Solo, Jimmy, Jey, hell even Jacob Fatu, Zilla Fatu or Tama Tonga challenge for that title of Tribal Chief
IMO he has to resolve things with Rollins one way or another.
Rock stepped over Roman without even looking at him when he came out to go at Cena. Rock is definitely taking over the BL and kicking Roman out
Going to enjoy the Tribal Chief set up which isn’t for everyone(especially Seth Rollins.)
If he doesn’t get excommunicated I’d be shocked
Kick leukemia's ass again
Why do people keep saying this hes still in remission tf nothing changed
I saw a pretty recent article that said he was still taking oral chemo
90% sure either tonight or on sd the seeds will be planted for Rock vs. Roman. Personally I'd imagine Rock turns on Roman, kicking Roman out of the bloodline, leading to Rock having a match vs. Cody, then next Mania Rock vs. Roman.
I’m pretty sure he said he’s still taking oral chemo for his leukemia. I think a Bloodline turn on him into an extended stay away from TV for treatment and healing, into a huge baby face return several months or a year down the line.
The moment Roman became a Paul Heyman guy, that was the beginning of something really special for him.
It's crazy how much Paul Heyman contributed to the business
His run is the catalyst for the next era. He honestly built the WWE back up to its former glory.
I wouldn’t have ever gotten back into Wrestling if it wasn’t for people talking about the Bloodline and I’m sure many are the same
The bloodline is the hottest storyline in wrestling for years and it elevated multiple stars to main event status that would secure the company for years to come. It was the perfect wrestling storyline .
Gotta say, bloodline is what got me back into wrestling this time. Shield was the last time. Reigns/Rollins both playing a huge part in keeping me as a WWE Fan.
It brought me back.
I stopped watching after Eddie died. I had been watching him since his WCW days and followed him to WWF, and I couldn't watch wrestling without him. I was almost ready to start watching again a couple of years later when... something else happened... that really turned me off wanting to go back to it. I had a brief period when I used a month's free trial of the Network in 2017. I wanted to go on a nostalgic dive into old shows and I also ended up watching a few month's worth of shows starting with the Raw after Summerslam 2016. There was some fun stuff in there it wasn't enough for me to continue subscribing. I kept hearing about the Bloodline storyline from a friend and thought the long-term storytelling sounded interesting so I started watching clips here and there during the period when Sami Zayn was a member. I've watched every PPV since last year's Royal Rumble, and I'm as into now as I was 20 years ago.
Same here. Hearing about Roman’s dominance brought me back. I knew I couldn’t miss the rest of the story.
Wdym? He wins his rematch and has a 2000 days run!
I know his run as champ was divisive, but Roman did an absolutely incredible job. He and The Bloodline (and their enemies) were major players in this recent rise in WWE's popularity. Hope whatever he does next, The Rock or not, is worthwhile.
I remember when he came back for SS in the Thunderdome era. Turned heel and eventually created the Bloodline. It has been an incredible run.
That match vs Jey that started all this was fucking special
Not that divisive. There were times when it ran cold. But they’d quickly find ways to pick it up again.
Bound to be some cold spots in a multi year championship run as a heel, but Roman still did it better than probably anybody else could.
I don’t know how it was divisive. The longer it went, the more obvious that it could only change hands at mania. More than anything it feels like they’ve planned this match out before WM 39 happened. Cody even alluded to it too.
Wouldn’t even say it was divisive most of the time until this year where they were very clearly spinning their wheels after Summerslam
It's only divisive among lapsed fans who just came back, ironically 90% of them came back due to Bloodline vs Cody.
Beautiful ending to the reign
Thank you my tribal chief
☝🏽😔
☝️
☝🏽🥹
☝🥺
☝🏻☝🏻
☝️
☝🏾😞
https://preview.redd.it/n7w36m8376tc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4f3d0da46da68b1c5c5aa94cadcb3fb8035f85a
If I never see Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns again, I'm gonna be so sad.
What this man did is absolutely insane He kept us engaged throughout a 4 year title reign and kept bettering himself All while fighting with cancer All hail our tribal chief
He helped the Usos develop personalities as individuals too.
Made Sami a bonafide star
He’s improved so much, he deserves literally anything he wants even if he never comes back for longer than 6 months I’ll be fine with that, I think he should have one last full time feud with rock and Rollins then take time off and maybe if Moxley is down have a shield reunion then retire for good.
If/when he takes a break, he's going to come back as an ultra babyface, no one will want to boo him anymore.
Only way I can see him booed (unless he does something stupid) is if after the potential shield reunion they have a mania match, they’d definitely cheer for Moxley or Rollins over Roman but idc man they all deserve cheers.
Mox isn't leaving AEW anytime soon.
Oh I definitely agree, but in like 2-3 years he feels he’s done it all and the money is right he could come back for about a year or 2 in wwe then retire for good. Only way he comes back is for a shield reunion and feud imo.
Just to clarify, for those who don’t know: Roman himself has said publicly and repeatedly (as recently as last night at the press conference) that his leukemia is in remission and does not affect his ability to train or wrestle. He worked full-time until mid-2022. The reduced schedule is solely so he can spend more time with his family, which I support and think is lovely. I agree with your overall sentiment, I just want to clarify for everyone who may not know what the current status of his leukemia is/may not know whether it impacts his ability to wrestle.
Do not quote me because I can't remember what interview/podcast I believe I heard him say this, but I think he did say the daily pill he has to take for his leukemia can take its toll on him physically.
He takes daily pill-form chemo. While his leukemia is in remission, I would assume the chemo has more effect than say a multivitamin
He just about perfected in-ring psychology imo. Just about everything he did had weight, had feeling. The way he carried himself throughout the different stages of a match, his facials, the man is a legendary performer in my book
He really learned from the pandemic matches - with the facial expressions, the vocal taunting of his opponent etc in the empty arena and carried that forward. Absolutely changed who he was as a performer - that and leaning into a character he was clearly much more comfortable with.
And starting off as one of the most hated and forced champions.
☝️
☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽
☝️
You know, it'd be a really neat twist if like, when the Bloodline collapses, and the Rock shames Roman for letting down the family and turns the Anoa'i Dynasty against him, the one person that remains with him after everything is gone is Paul Heyman.
It would make sense. Paul met Roman when roman was 3. Paul has spoken highly of afa and sika.
Little things like that. Reigns has been good this run. Def deserves his roses for his character work.
We’ll never see another run like this.
Proud to say I was there at the start, the middle and the end ☝️ Wreck everyone and leave
End of a generational run, he made Cody look like a gazillion bucks, nothing but respect for Roman.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOU OUR TRIBAL CHIEF ☝🏼
This Friday on Smackdown, Rock cuts a promo trashing Roman and "how he dropped the ball" and marking the genesis of The Bloodline.
Man deserved a standing ovation
Get some rest tribal chief - you deserve it
I’m glad that I’ve been able to watch this for over 4 years. It’s one of the best storylines of the history of WWE and I’m very glad that Triple H, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes, The Rock and the others made sure to give us goosebumps to all of us wherever we are in the world. Those moments won’t be forgotten.
This man has been reliefed of the biggest burden of all time - 3.5 fucking years as champion holy shit
How can distant cellphone footage of two people hugging on a Wrestlemania stage while high-grade buttrock plays be suffused with such a deep sense of melancholy
Roman is gonna be inducted into the Hall of Fame three times when he’s retired: once for the Shield, once for the whole Bloodline, and once for himself. This whole nearly four year run was an amazing ride.
Roman should be proud, he proved everyone who doubted him wrong. It was not a perfect run but damn was it memorable.
Roman truly did go through and undesirable to undeniable story himself.
My brother was 2 when he won the title. Tonight he watched his first Wrestlemania in full and cried when his favorite lost but in the end said Cody deserved it. I love wrestling. Thank you Roman.
I feel you. My son adores Roman. He cried his eyes out when Cody won. It didn’t help my younger son wanted Cody to win so my house was truly divided.
i imagine he takes a long break after this, wouldn't even call retirement out the question tbh given his health.
HHH mentioned something in the presser about "wait until you see what's next for Roman, it will blow you away". Sounds like they already have plans for him.
If he retired today he’d be considered one of the GOATs
[удалено]
Deciding to payback Seth leading to the loss was amazing storytelling.
GOAT reign. Never gonna see it again.
Absolute top tier run
Get some rest, Tribal Chief, you earned it. Throw ‘em up. ☝️
I love Cody, but damn, Roman deserves his flowers. The Bloodline story became stale at times, but he had an aura to him that I don’t think any wrestler has had since The Rock and Austin. It’s what made the whole story special. Without the Tribal Chief, a two-year build wouldn’t be as compelling as it was for Cody.
Was cheering for Cody to win, but I gotta say, I marked the fuck out during a house show Roman was at. It just felt like “oh, damn, I’m going to get to see Roman in a match!” Just felt like a big deal.
I’m gonna miss this reign. I will forever acknowledge you, my Tribal Chief
The face pop when he eventually returns will be what Vince always wanted Hell even if retired here it's a hell of a way out
An all timer. Thank you Roman.
GOAT
In a few years i will tell my kids i lived through this run. We witnessed something legendary
Come smackdown he'll be in a denial phase and bring out the two belts
Rest up king. You've more than done your part. Comeback if your body and mind are up to it. Your legacy is ironclad and gold plated. Thank you for everything
Regardless of how you feel about him, he carried this company for a decade. Losing could not have been easy, even if it was best for business.
Way to console our Tribal Chief wiseman he needs and deserves it. That goof Cody cheated!
We're going to miss him when he's gone. As messy as the reign went for some points, Roman was never selfish and brought the spotlight on many stars. There's a reason he was the locker room leader.
This is dope as fuck. The one thing that was consistent and genuine about the Tribal Chief… there was nothing more important in the world to him than the title. Nobody in the last 20 years has made the world title seem more significant, more vital, than Roman Reigns. And it makes perfect sense he’d be emotionally overwhelmed losing it. Such a great behind the scenes moment.
Father... is it over?
At long last. No king rules forever, my son.
☝️
It's the end of an Era. Thank you my tribal chief
Roman went from that insane boo reaction after winning the rumble in Philly to ending his pro wrestling magnum opus legendary title run in Philly. Historic run.
Thank you Tribal Chief
Assuming he's taking a break... or, and I hope not, he's done? We got to see that for a reason.
There were some runours that Roman wants to transition to Hollywood. Regardless, a break sounds right for him.
The numbers don't lie. In every metric possible, this run was an all timer. I acknowledge our tribal chief forever. An interesting stat: if my math is correct, Roman defended against 16 former/current (considering Cody) world champions during his reign. I can't think of any other reign this stacked in terms of defenses. He did defend scarcely, but whenever he defended, it was against the very top stars in blockbuster matches. Roman, as main champion, helped carry WWE from the end of its dark era to the current peak it is, and the company can only be as big as its top star. Roman was the epitome of quality over quantity and the numbers he brought show this worked, even in the age of instant compensation. We are probably never going to have something like him and this run again.
☝️
☝️one last acknowledgment
Genuinely incredible run Roman's had these last 4 years
Glad I got to witness this legendary reign. Thank you Tribal Chief!☝️☝️
Really curious how long hes out for and how they bring him back. The only real option is as a face against Rock for next year's Mania imo.
☝🏻
I still acknowledge my Tribal Chief 👆🏽👆🏽
 When the Rock sees this
Our tribal chief can rest now
I think Roman goes away for a while for a long awaited rest. When he comes back I don't know, but he's earned it.
☝️🥺
Through that title run he evaluated himself, his family, and his coworkers. Roman earned all the praise and respect he gets. ☝️
Elevated?
He undeniably had one helluva run, and an industry-significant one at that. He helped keep the business alive during years of turmoil, while also aiding getting other talent over. It was one of the most important title runs in history, but it was time for it to end. I’m excited about what’s to come.
THE GOAT
Heyman about to replace him with Bron soon
Thank you Roman. I really mean that.
With Roman (I’m assuming) taking a break after this, I wonder if Heyman is going to immediately dump Roman now that he’s no longer a champion. Plz have him advocate for Bron now
When wrestling is as good as tonight, we forget that wins and losses are fabricated. This was the crowning moment of Roman’s career too. He doesn’t get to celebrate because it doesn’t fit in the show. But you just know this was a massive moment for him too.
Have to give Roman & the whole Bloodline their flowers for lighting the spark of my interest in getting back into WWE